Mechanism in a packaging machine for closing the open ends of a wrapper applied around a box or like article



3,286,438 EN ENDS OF C. SOL

MECHANISM IN A PACKAGING MACHINE FOR CLOSING THE OF A WRAPPER APPLIEDAROUND A BOX OR LIKE ARTICLE Filed May 21. 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 @mdd:

INVENTOR.

hmjm MM C. SOL

Nov. 22, 1966 3,286,438 EN ENDS OF A BOX 0R LIKE ARTICLE MECHANISM IN APACKAGING MACHINE FOR CLOSING THE OF A WRAPPER APPLIED AROUND Filed May21, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Mm, luau" United States Patent 3,286,438 MECHANISM IN A PACKAGINGMACHINE FOR CLOSING THE OPEN ENDS OF A WRAPPER AP- PLIED AROUND A BOX ORLIKE ARTICLE Cornelis Sol, Westzaan, Netherlands, assignor to N. V.Machinefabriek Verwachting, Wormer, Netherlands, a corporation of theNetherlands Filed May 21, 1963, Ser. No. 281,954 Claims priority,application Netherlands, May 23, 1962, 278,768 6 Claims. (Cl. 53-379)The present invention relates to a mechanism in a packaging machine forclosing the open ends of a wrapper applied around a box or like article,and has for its object to provide an improved construction of such a.mechanism, thereby to accelerate the closure of the wrapper ends and toincrease the adaptability to the size of the articles to be packaged.

To this effect, the mechanism according to the invention, which isarranged upon the table of a packaging machine, comprises two pairs offolding legs which are disposed on both sides of the path of travel ofthe articles to be packaged, are adjustable relative to each other, andare active in opposed directions perpendicular to the surface of saidtable, said pairs of folding legs being each interposed between afolding member disposed at the supply end of said table and comprisingtwo tuck-in tongues active in opposed directions parallel to thedirection of travel of the articles to be packaged, and a pressure platedisposed at the delivery end of said table and active in conjunctionwith and in synchronism with said folding member parallel to the surfaceof the table and perpendicular to the direction of travel of thearticles to be packaged. In addition, according to the invention, thesaid pressure plates may be provided with a heating element.

In illustration of the invention, an embodiment of the packaging machinewill be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which,

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic top view of the machine;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line lIII in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line III-III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line IVIV in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5, 6, 7 and 8 show, in perspective view, four successive stages ofthe closing of the ends of a wrapper applied around an article to bepackaged.

When the machine is in operation, the articles 2 provided with a wrapper1 are one by one pushed over the table 4 by a pusher 3 to have thetrailing open ends of the wrapper 1 extending transversely to thedirection of travel. The table carries on both sides of its longitudinalaxis two folding legs 5 and 6. Each pair of folding legs 5, 6 is mountedon a carrier 7, in such a fashion that the spacing between the pairs offolding legs 5, 6 can be adjusted to the size of the articles 2 to bepackaged.

Before the supply end of the space between the folding legs 5, 6, thereis disposed on both sides of the longitudinal axis of the table 4 afolding member 8 comprising two tuck-in tongues 9 and 10 and alsomounted on the carrier 7 of the associated folding legs 5, 6. Eachfolding member is connected to one end of a strip 11, which isperiodically reciprocated by driving means engaging a fork 12 carried bythe strip. The other ends of the strips 11, which extend beyond thedelivery end of the space between the folding legs 5, 6, are cut offdiagonally and cooperate as cams with a pressure plate 13 movabletransversely to the longitudinal axis of the table.

Whilst an article 2, which is on three sides enveloped by a wrapper 1which is open at the ends (FIG. 5 is sup- "Ice plied over the table 4 tothe left in FIG. 1 by the pusher 3, the wrapper flaps 15 are foldedagainst the end faces of the article 2 as the article passes the tuck-intongues 9. After the flaps 15 have been folded the article 2 istemporarily stopped while the tuck-in tongues 9 and 10 move to the rightin FIG. 1 so that, during their subsequent movement to the left, thewrapper flaps 14 of the longitudinal edge portions of the wrapper 1,which have meanwhile been folded against the trailing side face of thearticle 2 (FIG. 6) are folded against the end faces of the article 2 bythe tuck-in tongues 10 (FIG. 7). If then, by the periodical supply ofsubsequent articles by the pusher 3, the article, brought into thecondition shown in FIG. 7, is stepwise passed along the folding legs 5and 6, the wrapper flaps 16 and 17 are successively folded against theend faces of the article 2 (FIG. 8).

Finally each article 2, then provided with closed wrapper ends, comesbetween the pressure plates 13. As these pressure plates 13, controlledby the diagonal end of the strips 11, are alternately moved away fromand towards each other, the article, and the whole series of subsequentarticles, is temporarily clamped between the pressure plates 13 forcompression of the folded wrapper ends or, in the case of a plastic filmwrapper, for sealing the wrapper ends by means of the pressure plates13, which in that case are provided with heating elements.

By virtue of the great adjustability and the simple drive of the movingparts, the machine according to the invention combines a high capacityand an easy adaptation to the size of the articles to be packaged.

I claim:

1. A packaging machine for closing the open ends of a wrapper about anarticle comprising, in combination: a machine table means for receivinga partially wrapped article at a supply end thereof, the ends of thearticle being in the unwrapped condition and having flaps protrudingtherefrom; pushing means for moving said article longitudinallyforwardly along said table means; folding means disposed at the supplyend of said table and having fixedly carried therewith rearwardlydirected tuck-in tongue means for tucking closed forward flap means inresponse to forward longitudinal movement of said forward flap extendingfrom said article past said first tuckin tongue means; forwardlydirected tuck-in tongue means fixedly carried by said folding means,said forwardly directed tuck-in tongue means providing means for tuckingclosed rearward flap means in response to rearward longitudinal movementof said folding means past said rearward flap means and subsequentforward movement of said folding means; slide means fixedly connected atone end of said folding means; said slide means being operativelyrelated at an opposite end to pressure plate means for sealing closedthe wrapper flaps against the article; means for moving said pressureplate means transverse of said table and said article in conjunction andsynchronism with forward and rearward movement of said folding meanslongitudinally of said table.

2. A packaging machine for closing the open ends of a wrapper about anarticle comprising, in combination: a machine table means for receivinga partially wrapped article at a supply end thereof, the ends of thearticle being in the unwrapped condition and having flaps protrudingtherefrom; pushing means for moving said article longitudinally forwardalong said table means; folding means disposed at the supply end of saidtable and having fixedly carried therewith rearwardly directed tuck-intongue means for tucking closed forward flap means in response toforward longitudinal movement of said forward flap extending from saidarticle past said first tuck-in tongue means; forwardly directed tuck-intongue means fixedly carried by said folding means, said forwardlydirected tuck-in tongue means providing means for tucking closedrearward flap means in response to rearward longitudinal movement ofsaid folding means past said rearward flap means and subsequent forwardmovement of said folding means; folding leg means for folding upper andlower flap means closed in response to further forward movement of saidarticle along said table past said folding leg means; slide meansfixedly connected at one end to said folding means; said slide meansbeing operatively related at an opposite end to pressure plate means forsealing closed the wrapper flaps against the article; means for movingsaid pressure plate means transverse of said table and said article inconjunction and synchronism with forward and rearward movement of saidfolding means longitudinally of said table; said pressure plate meansbeing positioned longitudinally forward of said folding leg means; saidfolding leg means being positioned longitudinally forward of saidfolding means.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein means comprising a portion of saidslide means are provided at said opposite end of said slide means to camsaid pressure plate means transversely outwardly of said table.

4. The combination of claim 2 wherein means comprising a portion of saidslide means are provided at said opposite end of said slide means to camsaid pressure plate means transversely outwarly of said table.

5. The combination of claim 3 wherein said pressure plate means includeheating elements.

6. The combination of claim 4 wherein said pressure plate means includeheating elements.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,646,497 10/1927Sandberg 53-230 1,968,190 7/1934 Clark 53-33 2,745,234 5/1956 Schooler53379 3,110,143 11/1963 Schooler 53-230 X TRAVIS S. MCGEHEE, PrimaryExaminer.

1. A PACKAGING MACHINE FOR CLOSING THE OPEN ENDS OF A WRAPPER ABOUT ANARTICLE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A MACHINE TABLE MEANS FOR RECEIVINGA PARTIALLY WRAPPED ARTICLE AT A SUPPLY END THEREOF, THE ENDS OF THEARTICLE BEING IN THE UNWRAPPED CONDITION AND HAVING FLAPS PROTRUDINGTHEREFROM; PUSHING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID ARTICLE LONGITUDINALLYFORWARDLY ALONG SAID TABLE MEANS; FOLDING MEANS DISPOSED AT THE SUPPLYEND OF SAID TABLE AND HAVING FIXEDLY CARRIED THEREWITH REARWARDLYDIRECTED TUCK-IN TONGUE MEANS FOR TUCKING CLOSED FORWARD FLAP MEANS INRESPONSE TO FORWARD LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF SAID FORWARD FLAP EXTENDINGFROM SAID ARTICLE PAST SAID FIRST TUCKIN TONGUE MEANS; FORWARDLYDIRECTED TUCK-IN TONGUE MEANS FIXEDLY CARRIED BY SAID FOLDING MEANS,SAID FORWARDLY DIRECTED TUCK-IN TONGUE MEANS PROVIDING MEANS FOR TUCKINGCLOSED REARWARD FLAP MEANS IN RESPONSE TO REARWARD LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENTOF SAID FOLDING MEANS PAST SAID REARWARD FLAP MEANS AND SUBSEQUENTFORWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID FOLDING MEANS; SLIDE MEANS FIXEDLY CONNECTED ATONE END OF SAID FOLDING MEANS; SAID SLIDE MEANS BEING OPERATIVELYRELATED AT AN OPPOSITE END TO PRESSURE PLATE MEANS FOR SEALING CLOSEDTHE WRAPPER FLAPS AGAINST THE ARTICLE; MEANS FOR MOVING SAID PRESSUREPLATE MEANS TRANSVERSE OF SAID TABLE AND SAID ARTICLE IN CONJUNCTION ANDSYNCHRONISM WITH FORWARD AND REARWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID FOLDING MEANSLONGITUDINALLY OF SAID TABLE.